Kindred Journey is a clinically designed service developed by Impact Living Services to give extra support to relatives who step up to care for kids in their family. Being a kinship caregiver can be both rewarding and overwhelming, and sometimes families need a little more than just basic resources. That’s where Kindred Journey comes in.
Impact Living Services knows that every family’s situation is different. Some families need professional guidance to help mend relationships and find their footing. With Kindred Journey, relatives don’t have to do it alone—they gain steady support to strengthen connections and build a healthier future together. And when families need additional hands-on guidance, Kindred Journey can also work in partnership with our Kinship Connect program to provide an even stronger network of support.
Through this program, a trained counselor works alongside families to offer:
Understanding and Guidance
A counselor meets with caregivers and children to get a clear picture of what’s going on, with a special focus on how past experiences and stress may be affecting the child. Together, they create a plan that helps the family feel more stable and connected.
Counseling and Support
Families can take part in one-on-one or family sessions that deal with tough issues like behavior struggles, bonding, and healing from trauma. The goal is to help children feel safe and supported while giving caregivers tools to handle challenges with confidence.
Practical Coaching Caregivers get realistic strategies for adjusting to their new role, reducing stress, and avoiding burnout. The coaching is down-to-earth and designed to make day-to-day life easier.
Funding via FAPT available with approval.
Medicaid and Private insurances accepted, based on availability.
Telehealth services available for older children and families.
Diagnostic Focus
- Anxiety
- Behavioral Disorders (ADHD, ODD, CD)
- PTSD in children
- Depression
- Sleep disturbances and trauma dreams
- Attachment patterns and disruptions
Child Mental Health & Development
- Trauma and brain development
- Developmental delays and regression
- Emotional regulation strategies
- Grief, loss, and ambiguous loss
- Trust-building with caregivers
- Academic struggles and trauma impact
- Resilience-building in children
- Shame and self-blame in youth involved with DSS
- Sleep disturbances and trauma dreams
- Social skills and peer relationships
- Helping children process parental relapse or incarceration
Adolescence & Identity
- Identity development in youth involved with DSS
- Teen independence vs. caregiver safety
- Romantic relationships and trauma
- Sexual orientation exploration
- Gender identity support
- Substance use prevention and response
- Risk-taking and thrill-seeking behavior
- Peer pressure and belonging needs
- Social media and online risks
- Preparing teens for reunification or permanency
Family Dynamics
- Family system shifts in kinship care
- Generational trauma patterns
- Extended family conflicts
- Sibling rivalry and dynamics in placements
- Enmeshment vs. detachment in families
- Power struggles with biological parents
- Managing divided loyalties in family systems
- Explaining placement to other relatives
- Protecting the child from harmful family influences
- Stigma of foster care in family systems
Relationships & Attachment
- Building secure attachment
- “Testing” behaviors in children & secure responses
- Trust ruptures and repair
- Healthy vs. unhealthy dependency
- Handling rejection and pushback from the child
- Preparing for family visits
- Emotional attunement strategies
- Co-regulation vs. control
Behavior & Daily Parenting
- Trauma-informed discipline
- Aggression and anger outbursts
- Oppositional behaviors
- Sexualized behaviors in children
- Stealing, lying, and manipulation
- Impulse control struggles
- Screen time and media boundaries
- Creating structure and routines
- Reward systems that work in trauma
- Parenting teens in kinship care
- Managing runaway risks
- Promoting independence and autonomy
- Sleep and bedtime challenges
- Food insecurity and hoarding behaviors
Crisis & Safety
- Suicide risk assessment
- Non-suicidal self-injury
- Crisis de-escalation techniques
- Safety planning in the home
- Sexual abuse trauma responses
- Hospitalization and emergency services
- Safety during supervised and unsupervised visits
Caregiver Mental Health
- Caregiver burnout
- Secondary trauma and compassion fatigue
- Role conflict (parent vs. grandparent, etc.)
- Caregiver self-care strategies
- Strain on marriages/partnerships
- Impact on caregiver’s biological children
- Extended family resentment
- Building a village of support
Ready to Get Started?